Tangkhul
Tangkhul Naga
Sino-Tibetan
Tangkhul Naga is one of the largest Naga languages, spoken by ~140,000 Tangkhul people in the Ukhrul District of Manipur, India, and the Somra Hills of Sagaing Region, Myanmar. The Tangkhul are part of the broader Naga ethnopolitical complex (~3M Nagas across NE India and Myanmar) but linguistically distinct: Tangkhulic is one of the most divergent groups within Naga linguistics, separated from other Naga and Kuki-Chin languages by significant grammatical and lexical differences. Tangkhul has classical Tibeto-Burman features (tonal, SOV, polypersonal verb morphology) but unique Tangkhulic phonological features. The London Missionary Society introduced Latin literacy in the early 20th century, and the New Testament was translated into Tangkhul (Pettigrew 1925).
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Tangkhul Naga
Water
ze
/ze/
Fire
mei
/mei/
Sun
nyithui
/ɲitʰui/
Moon
lai
/lai/
Star
sira
/siraː/
Mother
ina
/ina/
Father
apa
/apa/
I
i
/i/
You
na
/na/
Name
amin
/amin/
Eye
mi
/mi/
Hand
phei
/pʰei/
Heart
mokyaba
/mokjaba/
Love
cha
/tʃa/
Tree
leiyik
/leijik/
House
shim
/ʃim/
Dog
ui
/ui/
Cat
mibu
/mibu/
Eat
ngui
/ŋui/
Drink
rai
/rai/
One
kha
/kʰa/
Two
khani
/kʰani/
Hello
hayau
/hajau/
Thank you
ase
/ase/
Good
kahei
/kahei/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Sino-Tibetan languages
| Meaning | Tangkhul Naga | Zeme Naga | Hakha Chin | Mizo | Meitei | Iban | Kurtöp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ze /ze/ | nki /nki/ | ti /ti/ | tui /tui/ | ꯏꯁꯤꯡ /isiŋ/ | ai /ai/ | khwe /kʰwe/ |
| Fire | mei /mei/ | mei /mei/ | mei /mei/ | mei /mei/ | ꯃꯩ /mei/ | api /api/ | mi /mi/ |
| Sun | nyithui /ɲitʰui/ | sʰeu /sʰeu/ | ni /ni/ | ni /ni/ | ꯅꯨꯃꯤꯠ /numit/ | mata-ari /mataari/ | ningpe /niŋpe/ |
| Moon | lai /lai/ | kʰu /kʰu/ | thla /tʰla/ | thla /tʰla/ | ꯊꯥ /tʰaː/ | bulan /bulan/ | lai /lai/ |
| Star | sira /siraː/ | tara /taɾa/ | arfi /ʔarfi/ | arsi /arsi/ | ꯊꯋꯥꯟꯃꯤꯆꯥꯛ /tʰawanmitɕak/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | karma /karma/ |
| Mother | ina /ina/ | nem /nem/ | nu /nu/ | nu /nu/ | ꯏꯃꯥ /ima/ | indai /indai/ | amai /amai/ |
| Father | apa /apa/ | ape /ape/ | pa /pa/ | pa /pa/ | ꯏꯄꯥ /ipa/ | apai /apai/ | apai /apai/ |
| I | i /i/ | ge /ge/ | kei /kei/ | kei /kei/ | ꯑꯩ /əi/ | aku /aku/ | ngat /ŋat/ |
| You | na /na/ | na /na/ | nang /naŋ/ | nang /naŋ/ | ꯅꯪ /naŋ/ | nuan /nuan/ | wit /wit/ |
| Name | amin /amin/ | min /miŋ/ | min /min/ | hming /hmiŋ/ | ꯃꯤꯡ /miŋ/ | nama /nama/ | ming /miŋ/ |
| Eye | mi /mi/ | mik /mik/ | mit /mit/ | mit /mit/ | ꯃꯤꯠ /mit/ | mata /mata/ | mik /mik/ |
| Hand | phei /pʰei/ | hak /hak/ | kut /kut/ | kut /kut/ | ꯈꯨꯠ /kʰut/ | jari /dʒari/ | lak /lak/ |
| Heart | mokyaba /mokjaba/ | heisia /heisia/ | lung /luŋ/ | thinlung /tʰinluŋ/ | ꯊꯃꯣꯏ /tʰamoi/ | ati /ati/ | nying /ɲiŋ/ |
| Love | cha /tʃa/ | kihai /kihai/ | daw /daw/ | hmangaih /hmaŋai/ | ꯅꯨꯡꯁꯤꯕ /nuŋsiba/ | rinduai /rinduai/ | ga /ɡa/ |
| Tree | leiyik /leijik/ | rik /rik/ | thingkung /tʰiŋkuŋ/ | thingkung /tʰiŋkuŋ/ | ꯐꯨꯂꯥꯡ /pʰulaŋ/ | kayu /kaju/ | shing /ɕiŋ/ |
| House | shim /ʃim/ | ki /ki/ | inn /in/ | in /in/ | ꯌꯨꯝ /jum/ | rumah /rumah/ | khim /kʰim/ |
| Dog | ui /ui/ | hui /hui/ | ui /ui/ | ui /ui/ | ꯍꯨꯏ /hui/ | ukui /ukui/ | khwi /kʰwi/ |
| Cat | mibu /mibu/ | kʰemi /kʰemi/ | minu /minu/ | zawhte /zɔʔte/ | ꯍꯧꯗꯣꯡ /houdoŋ/ | mayau /majau/ | byila /bila/ |
| Eat | ngui /ŋui/ | so /so/ | ei /ei/ | ei /ei/ | ꯆꯥꯕ /tʃaːba/ | makai /makai/ | za /za/ |
| Drink | rai /rai/ | hʷu /hʷu/ | din /din/ | in /in/ | ꯊꯛꯄ /tʰakpa/ | ngirup /ŋirup/ | thung /tʰuŋ/ |
| One | kha /kʰa/ | kha /kʰa/ | pakhat /pakʰat/ | pakhat /pakʰat/ | ꯑꯃ /ama/ | satu /satu/ | thê /tʰe/ |
| Two | khani /kʰani/ | kena /kena/ | pahnih /pahniʔ/ | pahnih /pahniʔ/ | ꯑꯅꯤ /əni/ | dua /dua/ | zon /zon/ |
| Hello | hayau /hajau/ | hangba /haŋba/ | na dam maw /na dam maw/ | chibai /tʃibai/ | ꯈꯨꯔꯨꯝꯖꯔꯤ /kʰuɾumdʒaɾi/ | salam /salam/ | kuzu zangpo /kuzu zaŋpo/ |
| Thank you | ase /ase/ | kazi /kazi/ | ka lawm /ka lawm/ | ka lawm e /ka lɔːm e/ | ꯊꯥꯒꯠꯆꯔꯤ /tʰaːɡattʃaɾi/ | terima kasih /terima kasih/ | kadrinche /kadrintɕe/ |
| Good | kahei /kahei/ | ahei /ahei/ | tha /tʰa/ | tha /tʰa/ | ꯐꯕ /pʰaba/ | manah /manah/ | lekpo /lekpo/ |
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